It’s time again for Otak to laud a member of our staff who’s taken tangible steps toward being a more sustainable, environmentally conscious professional. Congratulations to our own Phillip Pittsenbarger, project architect, on earning his Green Globes certification.
Philip joined Otak’s architecture group 5½ years ago, specializing in multi-family housing and hospitality, and has current work in our public sector practice. Since college, sustainability has always been a primary interest of his due to his strong connection with the outdoors. He saw the need to tie nature and the built environment together, and strove to become a designer capable of doing their work with the least amount of impact on the planet possible. His portfolio includes projects at the federal and state levels, including for national parks.
Why Green Globes?
Philip saw the greater push for more accredited professionals within our architecture group, and wanted to pursue something different than a standard LEED certification. He identified Green Globes as an alternative thanks to its growing popularity among public projects, and wanted to learn about sustainable building principles and use it as a framework to keep in mind on any project. To him, all projects should be as sustainable as possible, and with emphasis on energy-efficient envelopes, water conservation, and sustainable materials, he began his work on earning the certification.
What is Green Globes?
Green Globes is a green building accreditation available to professionals who work in the built environment. According to the Green Building Initiative (GBI), Green Globes is a comprehensive, science-based building rating system that supports a wide range of new construction and existing building project types. Environmental objectives pursued through Green Globes lead to lower energy and water bills, reduced emissions, optimized health and wellness benefits, and minimized waste.
When asked about what his accreditation allows him to do, Philip defined the process as one of technical mastery and attention to detail. He directly interfaces with a Green Globes auditor, and works to facilitate meetings, organize paperwork, and be the lead on the overall sustainability efforts on any given project he might be working on. He says Green Globes does a great job of integrating sustainability into the overall design-build process, so things are not value-engineered out of the project.
Future Work
The hallmark of Philip’s efforts comes back to one value of his—that sustainability is not a money issue but a central aspect of any project. Through this recent certification, Philip is able to understand important benchmarks and track the health of a project all while getting owners recognition for their sustainable, resilient building. The system is far from perfect, but to Philip, it’s a good start.
Congratulations, Philip, and we look forward to supporting the rest of your project work on our team.
